Bill on sanctions for Russia's "war on faith" introduced in US Congress

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has thanked a group of US lawmakers for introducing a bipartisan bill aimed at countering Russia's war on religious freedom.

Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sybiha said the adoption of such legislation is long overdue.

Quote: "Russia must be held accountable for its systematic assault on religious freedom. Across Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories, Russia persecutes and murders clergy, destroys churches, bans entire faith communities and weaponises religion to impose fear and control."

Details: The Countering Russia's War On Faith Act has been introduced by Republican lawmakers Joe Wilson, Brian Fitzpatrick and Don Bacon, alongside Democrats Steve Cohen, Marcy Kaptur and Mike Quigley. A companion bill has also been submitted to the Senate by Republican John Kennedy and Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse.

The bipartisan initiative requires the US secretaries of state and defense to jointly report on Russian actions targeting religious communities in Ukraine and temporarily occupied territories.

It also obliges the US president to impose sanctions on foreign individuals found to have participated in such activities.

Previously: Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, over 600 religious sites, including churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship, have been damaged or destroyed, and more than 50 clergy have been killed. Protestant, Catholic, Crimean Tatar and non-Moscow Patriarchate Orthodox communities have faced raids, forced re-registration and criminal prosecution.

The Russian Orthodox Church, led by Patriarch Kirill, has publicly described the invasion as a "holy war", providing ideological justification for religious repression in occupied territories.

Background:

• On 17 April, the US lifted sanctions restrictions on the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels for 30 days, despite earlier public assurances that the licences would not be renewed.
• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained that the decision to extend limited sanctions relief for Russia and Iran was made following requests from "vulnerable" countries affected by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

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